Say hello to Jessica Hill from mad in crafts! She’s a blogger who has been wowing me with all her great dollar store ideas. (You have to visit her blog to be introduced to her little friend Cheapy Cheaperson!) Check out this great idea for holiday gifting! – Heather

Okay, this holiday gift really is only for a very specialized group of people. Bear with me as we find out if you have someone on your shopping list who would appreciate this present.

Show of hands. How many of you have someone on your Christmas list who enjoys drinking beverages? Good. Now, how many of you need a gift for someone who occasionally likes to move from one place to another? Perfect. Here’s where it gets tricky. Who of you needs to find a present for the pickiest of gift recipients: the person who enjoys drinking a beverage WHILE moving from one place to another?

Really? Well, I guess this holiday gift works for just about everyone.

Step one. Go to your local Dollar Tree. Find the aisle where they are displaying these travel mugs. Make a strong, straight line with your dominant arm. Slide that arm behind the display of mugs. With one smooth motion, sweep all of the mugs into your cart. Seriously. Once you see how easy this project is, you will want to make about a gajillion of them.

The only sneaky part of this project is that not only does the lid unscrew off of the travel mug, but the inner cup unscrews and comes out too. Voila! A crafting opportunity!

Remove the paper liner from between the outer plastic cup and the inner cup. You will use this liner as the template for your project. Trace the liner onto your paper of choice: scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, newspaper, toilet paper… probably not toilet paper. Cut your paper along your tracing lines.

Once you have your paper traced… EMBELLISH! I made 4 different styles of mugs which would make great, inexpensive gifts for just about anyone on your list.

You can make a great keepsake for a grandparent or babysitter using your child’s own artwork. (“Gi” is what my son calls my mom :P )

Heather

Heather Mann is chief editor of Dollar Store Crafts, and specializes in transforming inexpensive materials into stylish and simple craft projects. She has appeared on the Martha Stewart Show, in Reader’s Digest and the New York Times. DSC has been recognized as named one of Babble.com’s Top 10 Best Overall Craft Blogs (2011 & 2012) and Apartment Therapy’s 10 Crafty Blogs We Love (2010). Her work has been viewed by millions on the cover of FamilyFun magazine and on top websites such as RealSimple, Huffington Post, ABCNews.com, and others.

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16 Comments

Jeri

November 11, 2009 at 10:13 am

This is such a great idea. I actually left my Hawaii travel mug somewhere and I have been mourning it’s lose. I can make one of these and put a real picture in it and I think I’ll like it even more! Thanks.

I shared your site & Mad in Crafts on my blog today! I have just been hooked on your site, and I am so excited to find more wonderful ideas! Thanks for the continued inspiration that proves to be cheap, fun, and cute!